Search found 516 matches

by CascadiaSoonish
Sun Mar 17, 2024 1:12 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Anybody heard stories of well "prepared" retirees running out of money?
Replies: 90
Views: 10229

Re: Anybody heard stories of well "prepared" retirees running out of money?

As others have noted, long-term care expenses can have a massive impact on a portfolio. I took over finances for one parent when they needed to go into a skilled nursing facility. Three-plus years later we had spent ca. 100% of their investment assets, were borrowing against the one remaining asset (a whole-life policy) and were preparing for Medicaid when they passed. My other parent will need to move from assisted living to memory care in the near future. There's money available to pay for it but the 'burn rate' will then be well over 4%. Another branch of the family had pension income, two mortgage-free houses, and money in the bank but apparently are down to fumes at this point due to poor financial decisions, interstate moves and housi...
by CascadiaSoonish
Fri Mar 15, 2024 10:15 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to find reasonably priced contractors?
Replies: 30
Views: 3022

Re: How to find reasonably priced contractors?

In our experience, "you get what you pay for" applies to contractors. The inexpensive yardcare guy we used for years was industrious but not particularly knowledgeable, resulting in some work that damanged plantings and some hardscape that didn't endure. So we coughed up the money for a landscape architect who also recommended a fantastic contractor. Yes, it cost more money, but the quality is paying off.
by CascadiaSoonish
Sat Mar 09, 2024 7:21 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Have any of you Frugal Zebras Changed Your (Spending) Stripes?
Replies: 129
Views: 10656

Re: Have any of you Frugal Zebras Changed Your (Spending) Stripes?

Individually the line items aren't unreasonable but I'm continually surprised by how much the spending adds up. We're spending over $6K/yr on biweekly housecleaning, for example. And we've got two kids about to head off to college. I'm hoping that I can get a grip on all of this in a few years when I've got more time to patch all the holes in the bucket, but for the time being I'm just (semi-)accepting that we're going to have a high monthly burn rate.
by CascadiaSoonish
Fri Mar 08, 2024 10:10 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Are white, red, blue and other bright colors safer [for cars] than other colors???
Replies: 45
Views: 3869

Re: Are white, red, blue and other bright colors safer [for cars] than other colors???

I would imagine the same rules apply for cars that apply to high-visibility safety gear worn by motorcyclists, road crews, airport ground crews, and so on. Fluorescent yellow seems to be particularly effective. Next time you see a motorcycle rider wearing high-vis notice how it catches your attention and how your eye involuntarily lingers on the rider; can't say the same for the rider in black leathers.

That's why I look like a neon popsicle when I ride my motorcycle....
by CascadiaSoonish
Fri Mar 08, 2024 9:49 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: First bonus, taxed at almost 50%!
Replies: 55
Views: 3252

Re: First bonus, taxed at almost 50%!

meadowrue wrote: Fri Mar 08, 2024 7:19 am
gatorking wrote: Fri Mar 08, 2024 7:15 am My payroll dept also takes 401k contributions out of bonus payments.
Oh, that’s interesting! Hadn’t thought of that. On the plus side, I might actually max out my 401K this year then :mrgreen:
My company has it set up so we can manage our 401k contribution percentages at Empower; normal paycheck and bonus paycheck percentages are separate. I have mine cranked up to a significantly higher percentage on bonus because (a) helps me get money into the market earlier - mine hits next week, (b) avoids the irritation of seeing the higher withholding, (c) my overall TC is heavier at the beginning of the year so it's not a big deal if the after-401k net is low.
by CascadiaSoonish
Mon Mar 04, 2024 10:46 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tom Bihn briefcase worth the money? Looking for a quality, lightweight laptop briefcase.
Replies: 21
Views: 2401

Re: Tom Bihn briefcase worth the money? Looking for a quality, lightweight laptop briefcase.

Tom Bihn gear falls into the "expensive but worth it" category for me. I have an older Checkpoint Flyer laptop bag that's taken a lot of abuse over the years but only shows it as patina. The shoulder strap did wear out a few years ago and they sent me a free replacement. Great gear, great service.
by CascadiaSoonish
Wed Feb 28, 2024 10:31 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone consider retiring to Vancouver, Washington?
Replies: 79
Views: 21622

Re: Anyone consider retiring to Vancouver, Washington?

When we first moved here, we went to Portland all the time, to eat, to shop, to see bands in the park. Now, I really only go if I have a specific reason. Part of that is because Vancouver has nicer offerings now, but most of it is because of Portland issues. Someone will post that "these are city issues that all cities have," no, this isn't like normal city problems. Thank you for the info. It's very helpful. The hard part does sound hard, and thank you for sharing that. When you hike, how do you stay safe? Do you hike on trails that have a lot of other people? Do you carry mace? My Felida friend said that she only hikes in the national parks because the hikes near Felida have too many "sketchy" people around that make ...
by CascadiaSoonish
Tue Feb 20, 2024 8:36 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best place to buy personal domain? Best place to host it? (for email)
Replies: 53
Views: 5297

Re: Best place to buy personal domain? Best place to host it? (for email)

Namecheap + Fastmail for us. Has been very reliable.

(edited to note that I just checked to confirm and our personal email-only domain is actually on GoDaddy, which also works fine, just need to ignore the dumb advertising and add-on offers)
by CascadiaSoonish
Mon Feb 19, 2024 8:28 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Interested in seeing the best of Redwood country
Replies: 23
Views: 2055

Re: Interested in seeing the best of Redwood country

Others have mentioned Jedediah Smith Redwoods state park, I'll also give that a huge thumbs-up. All of the 'name' groves we've been to have been amazing including Lady Bird Johnson and the Stout off 199. And I think the kids will have fun too. When our kids were little we told them that squirrels grew in proportion to the size of the trees they lived in, so they should keep an sharp lookout for squirrels the size of our car. Hours of fun ensued.
by CascadiaSoonish
Sun Feb 11, 2024 10:53 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Have you ever replaced a perfectly fine car just because?
Replies: 111
Views: 8484

Re: Have you ever replaced a perfectly fine car just because?

We got a screaming deal on a leased car three years ago. Coming up on the end of the lease in a few months and we're leaning towards turning the car in rather than keeping it. It's a base model car that's perfectly serviceable for what we need (it's the third car for the high schoolers to get around) but not particularly nice in any meaningful way -- handling, comforts, features, inclement weather performance. Financially there's not an incentive to keep the car, the lease buyout is roughly what it's worth on the market. Though if we turn it in we'll be on the hook for whatever we get to replace it, which will almost certainly be significantly more expensive. So yeah, we may hand the keys back to the dealer just because we could afford a ca...
by CascadiaSoonish
Fri Feb 09, 2024 12:19 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Vanguard Long-Term Tax-Exempt Fund (VWLTX) - Is dividend tax free at DC state level?
Replies: 3
Views: 416

Re: Do any high income earners here NOT invest in municipal bonds?

jaMichael wrote: Fri Feb 09, 2024 12:14 pm
CascadiaSoonish wrote: Fri Feb 09, 2024 12:07 pm I just got done selling a bunch of small muni bonds in taxable. Two reasons: one, didn't want to book interest income during my highest earning years. Two, wanted to simplify the portfolio. We are reinvesting the proceeds in taxable into FZROX and are rebalancing in tax-deferred into bonds/bond funds. This is probably not perfectly optimal but at this point simplicity is attractive.
Off point, but some people prefer to avoid FZROX in taxable because it is not portable to another brokerage. You probably already know that.
Yes, portability is definitely a consideration. We're happy with Fidelity, though. And we do have a position in VOTE alongside FZROX which would be portable just in case we did need to move in the future.
by CascadiaSoonish
Fri Feb 09, 2024 12:07 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Vanguard Long-Term Tax-Exempt Fund (VWLTX) - Is dividend tax free at DC state level?
Replies: 3
Views: 416

Re: Do any high income earners here NOT invest in municipal bonds?

I just got done selling a bunch of small muni bonds in taxable. Two reasons: one, didn't want to book interest income during my highest earning years. Two, wanted to simplify the portfolio. We are reinvesting the proceeds in taxable into FZROX and are rebalancing in tax-deferred into bonds/bond funds. This is probably not perfectly optimal but at this point simplicity is attractive.
by CascadiaSoonish
Sun Feb 04, 2024 11:22 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Recently laid off from FAANG, should I go work for a non-profit or try to stay?
Replies: 65
Views: 9251

Re: Recently laid off from FAANG, should I go work for a non-profit or try to stay?

Nonprofits can come with their own set of professional frustrations. But I'm mainly thinking about the age of your kids and how important it is to have time with them at their current age. If I were you I'd take the opportunity to downshift, get tons of time with the kids, keep current on skills, and then decide on your next steps once they're a couple years into elementary school.
by CascadiaSoonish
Wed Jan 31, 2024 9:59 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Visiting DC from California - writing to Senator
Replies: 7
Views: 867

Re: Visiting DC from California - writing to Senator

Might have better luck via your rep, Padilla's office would need to service 40m Californian constituents and they may or may not be staffed to be on top of those requests. But speaking as someone who used to take a lot of work trips to DC I wouldn't put the Capitol or White House high on my list. Upper floors of the National Portrait Gallery were my go-to place, never crowded and free entry whenever I had time. The National Museum of African American History was also phenomenal. Schedule a midday visit to the Native American at the other end of the Mall so you can add on lunch at the very good cafeteria on the ground floor. Much preferred personally compared to fighting the crowds at the Capitol and at Air & Space.
by CascadiaSoonish
Mon Jan 29, 2024 11:06 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How has your Health Changed after Retirement; What are you doing to Stay Healthy?
Replies: 100
Views: 10092

Re: How has your Health Changed after Retirement; What are you doing to Stay Healthy?

Still working but will be on the off-ramp in a few years. Noticed a couple years ago that my sedentary job wasn't doing my body any favors as I got older. So we joined a really nice gym that I enjoy going to. Worked with a trainer to learn exercises and form with free weights. Bought a Peloton. Watch what I eat. Cut back on alcohol. Net result is much, much better strength and flexibility; no soreness; better energy. Totally worth it. Seriously, don't get me going on the benefits of squats.
by CascadiaSoonish
Sat Jan 27, 2024 9:49 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Is paying off a 2.99% mortgage always a bad idea?
Replies: 332
Views: 24662

Re: Is paying off a 2.99% mortgage always a bad idea?

beardsicles wrote: Sat Jan 27, 2024 2:48 pm
TPS_Reports77 wrote: Sat Jan 27, 2024 2:27 pm Your bank would be thrilled if you paid this off early.
The government would love to tax you more.
Yes, this is a bad idea.
I’d love to offer my bank the mark-to-market value of my 2.5% mortgage.
Me too. If they offered, say, 20% discount on principal due I'd be all over it.
by CascadiaSoonish
Tue Jan 23, 2024 11:52 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Surprise out of network
Replies: 23
Views: 2575

Re: Surprise out of network

Went to have a procedure performed at a facility co-owned by my orthopedic surgeon. Big sign behind the check-in desk reading "we always bill at in-network rates." Subsequently received an out-of-network bill saying I owed over $10,000. Brought the bill to my follow-up appointment with my surgeon and politely asked how exactly the $10,000 bill jibed with their no-out-of-network-billing policy painted on their wall. A few days later, received a revised bill for a couple hundred bucks.

(Lesson learned: if your surgical center is next to a Buffalo Wild Wings out by the airport, ask questions.)
by CascadiaSoonish
Tue Jan 23, 2024 6:13 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Anyone Make a Major Career Change in Their Forties?
Replies: 95
Views: 23476

Re: Anyone Make a Major Career Change in Their Forties?

At 50 I made a move to Big Tech after 20+ years in Small Tech (had been running my own prof services firm). A few observations: In a hot job market 2+ years ago it still took over 80 applications to find the right gig. The further you go from your previous turf, the harder it is. Sounds obvious but worth restating. I intentionally moved away from professional services, making my job search much harder. Ageism in tech is real; but fluid vs. crystallized intelligence is real, too, and different industries value those differently. I'm focusing on adding value through experience and mentoring but we'll see how long I can keep up. Someone previously mentioned the Enrolled Agent path to tax-centric accounting work. That's my post-Big Tech "P...
by CascadiaSoonish
Mon Jan 22, 2024 11:02 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: inherited non spousal ira mistake
Replies: 13
Views: 1380

Re: inherited non spousal ira mistake

Sounds to me like something the financial advisor needs to fix. I'm guessing they need to be told in very clear terms that they need to step up.
by CascadiaSoonish
Sat Jan 20, 2024 9:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Recommendation for 100% cotton men's undershirt?
Replies: 32
Views: 3087

Re: Recommendation for 100% cotton men's undershirt?

One of my very non-Boglehead vices: buying a few American Giant slub knit t-shirts each spring. Currently $50/ea (yes, fifty bucks per t-shirt) but they occasionally run a three-shirt discounted bundle. Expensive and worth it.

Edit to mention that I know OP asked about undershirts, with which I've given up on having any expectation of durability. I rarely need them anymore, though, with a more casual post-Covid wardrobe.
by CascadiaSoonish
Sat Jan 20, 2024 9:45 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: first time into Commercial Real Estate
Replies: 10
Views: 1600

Re: first time into Commercial Real Estate

I'll just say "be careful" as there's a lot of turmoil in certain CRE sectors and markets right now. We bought an office building for our business just before the pandemic, which turned out to be the absolute top of the market. Now post-pandemic the office market has cratered. Broker we worked with said that in the current market the building is currently only worth a little more than half of what we paid + put into the building. Our business is no longer operating in the space, luckily we have a new tenant paying enough for us to break even but only on a month-to-month basis. If that tenant leaves we will be in a really bad spot as it's going to take years for the market to recover. Not at all where we thought we'd be when we bou...
by CascadiaSoonish
Tue Jan 16, 2024 11:42 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Lost - how to dig myself out
Replies: 24
Views: 2571

Re: Lost - how to dig myself out

We are in a somewhat similar situation. Spouse inherited a trust account (no step-up in basis) with a couple hundred little positions. We sold off losing positions and then sold some appreciated positions to take advantage of the losses. Donated to a DAF as well, which works great for managing tax liability, and has the added advantage of a matching contribution from my employer. We also have a lot of little individual muni bond holdings that aren't very liquid so we're going to just sit on them over the next few years and let them mature. In addition to the spreadsheet tracking others have suggested, Fidelity's "View your YTD tax activity" was super-helpful for getting the exact numbers to work from. I'm assuming other brokerages...
by CascadiaSoonish
Sat Jan 13, 2024 5:34 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Adjacent Land Purchase
Replies: 8
Views: 1334

Re: Adjacent Land Purchase

Definitely buy the property, and use whatever loan mechanism is simplest for you.
by CascadiaSoonish
Sun Dec 31, 2023 12:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What big hairy audacious goals do you have for 2024?
Replies: 109
Views: 15395

Re: What big hairy audacious goals do you have for 2024?

2023 was a complicated and expensive year for us. I'm wanting '24 to be boring.

I've done better in the past couple years with working out and have figured out what works well for me and what I enjoy doing. Now I need to just keep at it and do the rest of what I need to do to stay healthy.

Also need to do better at work-life balance. Current job pays well but is stressful. I can probably handle it for a few more years until the kids are out of college. In the meantime I need to keep up with the job responsibilities but also do better at compartmentalizing my emotional response to corporate politics and people issues. I just keep reminding myself that I get paid to cope with bull-[preemptively censored on behalf of mods]
by CascadiaSoonish
Mon Dec 25, 2023 12:38 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is Solar Worth It?
Replies: 193
Views: 45463

Re: Is Solar Worth It?

We're in the cloudy bit of the PNW and we're putting in a small solar system to power a small outbuilding. Even with the tax credits it's clear that there's not a financial argument for the install. We're doing it because we want the environmental benefits and self-sufficiency of solar power. Help me understand the "self-sufficiency" part. If the power goes off, you solar system will to. Sure, you can have a backup battery... but you dont need a solar system for that. We're putting in panels, a small battery, and a switch that integrates with the grid subpanel. It's all going on top of a highly insulated new construction office outbuilding. For most daily office use I'll leave as many circuits on solar as I can. When/if grid powe...
by CascadiaSoonish
Sun Dec 24, 2023 2:41 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is Solar Worth It?
Replies: 193
Views: 45463

Re: Is Solar Worth It?

We're in the cloudy bit of the PNW and we're putting in a small solar system to power a small outbuilding. Even with the tax credits it's clear that there's not a financial argument for the install. We're doing it because we want the environmental benefits and self-sufficiency of solar power.
by CascadiaSoonish
Fri Dec 22, 2023 2:19 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Re: Backing up my computer & External Hard Drive Recommendations for Apple MacBook
Replies: 56
Views: 4907

Re: Backing up my computer & External Hard Drive Recommendations for Apple MacBook

Using the paid Apple iCloud service is a valuable overlapping service, assuming that the most critical files you need to preserve lives in ~/Documents. I've only needed to restore from Time Machine once in the past few years, but find that the sync and save functions of iCloud get used all the time.
by CascadiaSoonish
Fri Dec 22, 2023 1:20 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: funds for memory care
Replies: 15
Views: 2198

Re: funds for memory care

I'm sorry to hear this. If you haven't already looked into it, look into Medicaid planning and asset management services, often provided by attorneys in your state.
by CascadiaSoonish
Thu Dec 21, 2023 10:48 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Parents of recent college applicants: How did it play out?
Replies: 115
Views: 20256

Re: Parents of recent college applicants: How did it play out?

D3 ... had the idea of starting a student-based organization to help in this effort, but the high school did not have interest, so she joined one of the existing groups and for a period of time she was the only high schooler attending the meetings and being actively involved. Later when the state and federal EPA held hearings on the matter, she was chosen as one of the speakers providing testimony as to the impact of the pollution on the community. After working on this for nearly two years, it was a surprise when the plant announced they were closing. The news made the national press, and she was interviewed by the local TV station and newspaper. This led to more publicity, with an interview on NPR and write-ups in several prominent natio...
by CascadiaSoonish
Tue Dec 19, 2023 1:51 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tempting 7-figure job offer (FAANG vs AI startup)
Replies: 93
Views: 13170

Re: Tempting 7-figure job offer (FAANG vs AI startup)

To have the opportunity to work at that particular company at this particular moment is pretty amazing. Do you have the ability to put some boundaries around the role as part of negotiations? Making it clear you do your best work in the first, say, 50 hours of the week?

And this being Bogleheads, we're obligated to instruct you to drive a used Camry until you've got at least $40M in the bank.
by CascadiaSoonish
Tue Dec 19, 2023 10:52 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: We want a new holiday dessert
Replies: 53
Views: 6721

Re: We want a new holiday dessert

Bogleheads might dismiss this as bad parenting but I managed to get my youngest interested in dessert-making by making creme brulee every Christmas. Getting to use a kitchen torch was the selling point. Turns out eight year olds love playing with fire.
by CascadiaSoonish
Tue Dec 19, 2023 10:48 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: First RSU Vest - What Would You Do?
Replies: 23
Views: 2400

Re: First RSU Vest - What Would You Do?

FWIW I have experimented with hanging onto some of my RSU/ESPP shares rather than sell immediately, with mixed results. And the W2 accounting seems to be trickier to track. So I'm going to go back to selling on receipt. After all, if hanging onto vested shares is essentially making a longer-term bet, then I'm already making that bet in the form of unvested future stock comp representing a significantly larger position than what vests in any given time period.
by CascadiaSoonish
Tue Dec 19, 2023 10:43 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Does selling ESPP shares generate earned income?
Replies: 2
Views: 447

Re: Does selling ESPP shares generate earned income?

My employer includes all stock-based compensation activity (including ESPP) on paystubs. They also told me that if I moved ESPP or RSU shares to another broker after retirement and then sold the shares they'd need to reinstate my employment just for the purposes of reflecting the stock-based compensation on my W2. So at least at my employer the answer to your question would presumably be "earned income".
by CascadiaSoonish
Wed Dec 06, 2023 8:34 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Parents of recent college applicants: How did it play out?
Replies: 115
Views: 20256

Re: Parents of recent college applicants: How did it play out?

Awesome to hear so many of these stories. Thanks everyone. Please do keep them coming.
by CascadiaSoonish
Wed Dec 06, 2023 3:47 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Parents of recent college applicants: How did it play out?
Replies: 115
Views: 20256

Parents of recent college applicants: How did it play out?

With two high school students in our household we've had lots of active conversations about college including odds of admission, strategies, costs, and whether there's value in a well known school. Plenty of posts online about students and parents navigating the same waters, but not as much about the final results and the "return on investment" for various approaches (tutors, SAT prep, extracurriculars, college tours, selective applications vs spray-and-pray) And I think we're probably in a similar boat as other Bogleheads -- kids are solid students but not top 1%, want to go to highly competitive schools but are realistic about the likelihood of admissions, not expecting financial aid, and have decent funds set aside in a 529 but...
by CascadiaSoonish
Tue Dec 05, 2023 8:04 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What to do with $1.6 million immediately after house sale
Replies: 21
Views: 3121

Re: What to do with $1.6 million immediately after house sale

$1.6M at Fidelity in their cash management account would be eligible for a nice new customer cash bonus, +/- 5% interest, and FDIC insurance since they spread deposits across multiple banks.
by CascadiaSoonish
Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:52 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Can you give stock to younger kid who has no income to save taxes
Replies: 32
Views: 3887

Re: Can you give stock to younger kid who has no income to save taxes

cadreamer2015 wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:44 pm Watch out for the Kiddie Tax

https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc553

They may owe more taxes than you expect when they sell.
Hm. So would smaller gifts avoid this issue? Say, annual gifting to a child $3K/yr in stocks with ca. $2K in unrealized cap gains per year?
by CascadiaSoonish
Sun Nov 12, 2023 9:21 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Pair of pricey college football tickets?
Replies: 70
Views: 8704

Re: Pair of pricey college football tickets?

TarHeel2002 wrote: Sun Nov 12, 2023 7:13 pm So I did buy the pair of tickets ($1250)…and another one for my son because he loves Michigan football! So far no buyers remorse…we are all VERY excited! 🏈
Just went with my oldest to an expensive (by my standards) PAC-12 game. Walked the campus, had dinner, hung out, had a great time. Totally worth it. Have fun.
by CascadiaSoonish
Tue Oct 31, 2023 10:38 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Can I afford a $100K backyard?
Replies: 56
Views: 8683

Re: Can I afford a $100K backyard?

We spent that much three years ago on our back yard. Was it a particularly smart investment? By the numbers, no, we'd probably only recoup maybe half of the $100K if we had to sell. But an additional $100K in the market wasn't worth as much to us as time making pizzas and watching movies in the back yard with the kids.
by CascadiaSoonish
Tue Oct 31, 2023 8:25 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best WiFi router for Apple computers/devices?
Replies: 57
Views: 4839

Re: Best WiFi router for Apple computers/devices?

+1 on Ubiquiti. I put in a multi-access-point Ubiquiti system at home after having good experiences with the gear at work. The integrated camera systems are pretty nice as well. Then again, we're running ~50 clients total including IoT devices across four different WiFi networks with specific bandwidth & access management policies per network, so Ubiquiti fit the bill for us after we outgrew the Google Mesh gear.
by CascadiaSoonish
Sat Oct 28, 2023 8:01 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: severance package negotiating
Replies: 46
Views: 6558

Re: severance packaging negotiating

People get severance when they quit/retire? My employer wanted younger people in software development, so they offered those with 10+ years at the employer and over 50 a sweet deal to leave. Lots left. Me too. Wow. Sounds like an invitation for age discrimination lawsuits. Why do you think so? If people are offered a package and take it there is no discrimination. It is a common practice to offer packages based on some combination of age and years of service if a company is trying to reduce H/C. And it’s often a standing “definition” of retirement-eligibility, e.g., Rule of 70 would be sum of age and years of service > 70. Sure, if it's truly voluntary and those remaining over 50 who *don't* take the package are not pressured or otherwise ...
by CascadiaSoonish
Sat Oct 28, 2023 4:05 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: severance package negotiating
Replies: 46
Views: 6558

Re: severance packaging negotiating

Dottie57 wrote: Fri Oct 27, 2023 1:54 pm
pizzy wrote: Fri Oct 27, 2023 11:16 am People get severance when they quit/retire?
My employer wanted younger people in software development, so they offered those with 10+ years at the employer and over 50 a sweet deal to leave. Lots left. Me too.
Wow. Sounds like an invitation for age discrimination lawsuits.
by CascadiaSoonish
Fri Oct 27, 2023 7:33 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Are ESG funds/ETFs OK in taxable account?
Replies: 8
Views: 855

Re: Are ESG funds/ETFs OK in taxable account?

Depending on how you define ESG, lots of options. We hold a pretty big position in VOTE in taxable.
by CascadiaSoonish
Sun Oct 22, 2023 12:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Any Can-Am Spyder owners here?
Replies: 8
Views: 1508

Re: Any Can-Am Spyder owners here?

50ismygoal wrote: Sat Oct 21, 2023 4:16 pm I’m a minimalist, and my plan is to sell my car (2018 Hyundai Kona) and my bike (2022 KTM 890 Adventure) and have just one conveyance, the Spyder. A bit whacky for someone who lives in the north, but that’s the plan. I plan to do this in April.
I....um....would not do that, personally. The KTM is a great bike. The Kona is a practical way of getting around, particularly in inclement weather. The Spyder is neither of those things.
by CascadiaSoonish
Sun Oct 22, 2023 12:24 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Good Fidelity Fund(s) to start an Investment account for child in College
Replies: 28
Views: 3169

Re: Good Fidelity Fund(s) to start an Investment account for child in College

+! to much of what's already been said here. Our older kid (nearing college) has a Roth that we gifted into at a 1:1 match for W2 earnings and that one's 100% FZROX. Both kids have the Fidelity youth accounts and the older one has a small FZROX position in that, but it's mostly SPAXX. Younger kid doesn't really have even an iota of spending discipline yet :) but we're able to have money conversations as the transactions roll in and out. Overall it's worked out really well for everyone involved.
by CascadiaSoonish
Wed Oct 18, 2023 10:50 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: High TIPS Yields are a Retiree's Best Friend - John Reckenthaler
Replies: 62
Views: 9942

Re: High TIPS Yields are a Retiree's Best Friend - John Reckenthaler

Maybe I'm just a little thick (or haven't had enough coffee this morning) but I'm still trying to wrap my head around TIPS vs standard-vanilla Treasury note ladder for RMD liability matching. We have an inherited IRA with required RMDs on the stretched timeline. The annual RMD calculation doesn't care about inflation, it is based on the life expectancy factor and the 12/31 balance....right? So isn't the simplest thing to lock in the RMD with guaranteed 5%+ returns on a Treasury note ladder rather than introduce variability and potentially lower returns with TIPS?
by CascadiaSoonish
Tue Oct 17, 2023 8:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Wireless headphones
Replies: 13
Views: 1094

Re: Wireless headphones

Companies like Westone can make custom in-ear monitors from impressions taken at an audiologist's office. I use them primarily for motorcycling. Pricey but they work well. Not completely wireless, comes with a small wired Bluetooth adapter. But for most other purposes I'm a big fan of Bose 35s.
by CascadiaSoonish
Tue Oct 17, 2023 7:41 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Any Can-Am Spyder owners here?
Replies: 8
Views: 1508

Re: Any Can-Am Spyder owners here?

I did a half-day Spyder demo a couple years ago. Wasn't impressed. You lose all the fun of leaning and turning, acceleration isn't exactly exhilarating, and they didn't seem particularly well-built given the price point. YMMV but I don't think it's much of a substitute for the motorcycling experience.
by CascadiaSoonish
Sun Oct 15, 2023 12:54 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Simplification vs. Optimization in your financial life... most valuable areas / where do you draw the line?
Replies: 70
Views: 9076

Re: Simplification vs. Optimization in your financial life... most valuable areas / where do you draw the line?

We've accumulated nearly 30 different banking + investment accounts and half a dozen credit cards over the years. I'm slowly paring back by consolidating away from underused or underperforming accounts, but we're going to take a few years to do so. Fidelity will still have a mix of a dozen different accounts but that's OK since we can more easily manage across all of those as a whole. It's just not worth it any more to me to manage a bunch of different accounts that were all opened because they'd have a couple percentage points advantage over what I could do at Fidelity. (I'm looking at you, Treasury Direct, you're the first one on the chopping block...)